Type-writing machine



' (No Model.) 2 Sheets-QSheet 1.

JLM. P RENTICE. TYPE WRITING MACHINE.

No. 464,892. Patented Dec. 8, 1891 A W/TNESSES m/ VENTOR: 0W1 W ay/arson JZZi'cnZzte (No Model 2 8heets+-Sheetj2.

J. M. PRENTIGE. TYPE WRITING MACHINE.

No. 464,892. Patented Dec. 8, 1891.

A WITNESSES: w VENTOR M w J /ersm JfflfiwnTice A TTOHNEYS- UNITED STATES PATENT EETCE.

JEFFERSON M. PRENTICE, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

TYPE-WRITING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. d64,892, dated December 8, 1891.

Application filed May 4,1891. SerialNo. 391,575. (No model.)

To (ZZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JEFFERSON MILLAED PRENTICE, residing at San Francisco, San Francisco county, and State of Oalifornia h ave invented a new and useful Improvement in Type-WVriting Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention is an improvement in machines of the Remington No. 2 type, in which each type-bar carries acapital and lower-case letter. WVhen a capital is to be printed, the cylindrical platen or roller requires to be shifted, and to effect such movement a key marked upper-case is depressed, and the order of printing is reversed by depressing another key marked lower-case. It is an important object to dispense with these keys, and thus simplify at once the key-board as well as facilitate rapidity of operation of the machine.

My invention is an improvement in this line; and it consists in arranging a shift-bar at the front of the machine parallel with the ordinary space-bar and in the means for c611- necting it with the platen or roller, as Will be hereinafter more fully described.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view showing my apparatus ap plied to a Remington machine. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of my apparatus detached.

The platen or roller (not shown) is in practice rigidly connected with the shifting-rod S R on the top of the lachine in. the usual way, whereby it is ada ted to be moved backward andfiforward with said rod, as required for printing upper or lower case letters. The shifting-rod S R is itself operated as heretofore by means of a rock-shaft R S, having a lateral arm a. The means I employ for operating said rock-shaft are chiefly the shiftbar A and the rock-shaft G and rods D. The said shift-bar A is made of light thin metal and extends across the entire front of the key-board, (not shown,) parallel and adjacent to the ordinary space-bar. (Shown in dotted lines.) The rods D are rigidly connected with the ends of the shift-bar and extend horizontally beneath the space-bars and outside the space-levers, to a point beneath the typebasket, where they are pivoted to arms I), pendent from the rock-shaft G. The latter is journaled in sockets clamped adjustably to the sides of the type-writer frame. A vertical rod F connects a horizontal arm 0 of said rock-shaft O with one of the corresponding lever-arms of the upper rock-shaft R S.

A spiral spring G is employed, as usual, to return the platen to the normal position. for printing lower-case letters after pressure on the shift-bar is relieved.

It will be perceived that in practical operation by pressing inward against the shiftbar the operator may readily shift the platen or roller to print an upper-case letter. The pressure may be applied byan otherwise useless membernamely, the thumb of either hand whereby all the other members of both hands are left free for acting on the keys of the printing-levers. Further, inasmuch as the shift-bar extends across the entire front of the machine it presents tenfold greater surface for contact of the fingers, thus securing greater speed in operation.

The key-board is simplified by removal of two keys, and the substitute for them is not a cumbersome addition to or enlargement of the machine, since it extends but one-fourth of an inch from the front and is provided with a horizontal top flange that fits snugly in at the curves of the frame close up to the space-bar.

My improvement also makes the Remington No. 2 available for persons having the use of but one hand. I do not, however, propose to limit the use of the improvement to that particular machine, but to apply it with suitable modifications to all others which employ more than one printing character on a typebar.

Having thus described my invention,what I claim is 1. In a type-writer of the class hereinbefore indicated, the combination, with the platenshifting rod, of a horizontally-moving shiftbar arranged across the front of the keyboard, and means for connecting it with said shifting-rod, substantially as shown and described.

2. In a typewriter of the class hereinbefore indicated, the combination, with the platenshifting rod, and the rock-shafts arranged beneath and connected with it and with each other, of the shift-bar arranged horizontally across the front of the machine, and pushrods attached to its ends and extending inward along the sides of the key-board and connecting with the lower rock-shaft, substantially as shown and described.

3. In a typewriter of the class hereinbefore indicated, the combination, with means immediately connected with the platen-shifting :0 rod for operating it, of the rock-shaft C, ar-

ranged beneath the parallel rods connected with arms of the latter and extending forward, as shown, and the horizontally-inoving shift-bar arranged across the front of the machine and rigidly attached to such rods, as

shown and described.

v JEFFERSON M. PREN"ICE. 4 \Vitnesses:

FRANK D; CoNoANNoN, JAMEs P. HUNT. 

